Fault tolerance, rack power density, internal configuration and other specific client needs are all incorporated into the final design.

“The result is a data centre that can be transported anytime, anywhere in the world and stored in any environment: hot, cold, wet or dry,” IT Power says. The Datablok has the added advantage of being shock-proof, seismically-restrained and fire resistant, Lewis says.

He says the Datablok costs a fraction of similar solutions from multi-national vendors, with pricing from $100,000 compared to $1 million for similar from a multi-national.

“The other advantage is that unlike many multi-national vendors, when it comes to the components, we’re vendor agnostic,” Lewis says.

He says the Datablok offers best of breed and fit-for-purpose hardware, locally supported and in whatever layout a customer requires.

Lewis says Datablok is expected to appeal to a range of customers, including those who need to free up office space and those who need to be able to take the data centre with them – whether to particular events or because they’re preparing to move to new offices and don’t want to invest in a data centre within the current building.

“There’s an advantage in not utilising valuable office space for a data centre,” Lewis says, noting that moving a data centre from a building into a 20-foot container frees up space for eight to 10 desks.

“That can mean in the difference in a company having to move to new premises, or being able to remain where they are,” Lewis says.

Oil and gas exploration customers are also a key target for Datablok.

Datablok’s first customer, Hawkes Bay communications provider Unison, opted for the offering because ‘it was more cost effective than moving the data centre within our current building, and gave additional benefits of being external to the main site', says Unison chief information officer Mike McGarvey.

While the Datablok’s portability wasn’t a prime consideration for Unison, McGarvey says it will offer benefits in the event something goes wrong at the principal site, allowing the company to move the container, without having to rebuild a server room.

Lewis says the company is welcoming conversation with resellers interested in offering Datablok.

Like its big international competition APC-Schnieder, Lewis says IT Power is hoping to have discussions with end-users and market directly, while also engaging resellers.

He says resellers can provide many advantages for the end-user with value-added services, while resellers get remuneration for their time, effort and expertise.